The forest around the Croft is full of Holm oak, Quercus ilex. Holm oak is evergreen and so our valley has always been a green place, even in the hottest summers. But this year - the second year of drought in Montseny - the trees have turned brown.
The picture would look normal, in autumn in a deciduous forest. But here in the Holm oak forests of Catalonia it's a sign of death.
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| Thirsty trees |
Groups of Holm oak have either died or gone into some form of drought hibernation. Around here these patches of brown seem to be associated with soil disturbance - a new path here, a drain dug there.
The die-back has been general, affecting all the plant life (and, we assume, some of the fauna too).
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| Pasture limits |
In August, finally, it rained, and first the grasses and then the trees have been slurping up the water, and putting out new green shoots.
And still governments take too little action on climate change. Shame on them.
